A news-based journal on the Boston restaurant scene. The owner of this blog is also the founder of Boston's Hidden Restaurants, a website that focuses on local dining spots.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Coppa Alum Plans to Open Two-Section Restaurant in Former Church Space in Boston's Fenway

Last month, we reported that yet another Boston-area music club had closed its doors (along with its restaurant). Now we have learned that a chef who used to work at one of the city's best-known dining spots may be opening not one, but two places within the space.

According to a Twitter post from @DGoodison of The Boston Herald, The Gromit Group is looking to take over the former Church space in the Fenway, with a note sent from her (and picture of the hearing notice) indicating that the Kilmarnock Street site would be split into two "unique" spaces, including a public dining spot that does not yet have a name and a separate semi-private room that would be used for additional seating for the public restaurant when not in use. A check on the Bizapedia site shows that Marlena Ward and Meghann Ward are behind The Gromit Group; Meghann Ward had been the chef de cuisine at Coppa in Boston's South End until recently.

[November 4 update: Universal Hub gives more information on the proposed spot coming to the Church space--it would be a "two-part restaurant" called Tapestry that would include a lower-priced section called Expo Kitchen and a higher-end space called the Clubroom. UH also mentions that Marlena Ward, her stepdaughter Meghann, and her fiancee are not planning to have live entertainment and are looking to cater to a much older crowd, with the dining spots focusing more on food than drink.]

[April 26, 2016 update: A Twitter post from @kciccolini mentions that Tapestry hopes to open in the former Church space on May 4.]

[May 2, 2016 update: A Facebook post from the place indicates that Tapestry might not open on May 4 after all, as the "exact date is tentative," but the note does say that they are still hoping to open early this month.]

Earlier, we had mentioned that the restaurant group behind Nix's Mate in Boston's Financial District (Bostonian Hospitality) had been looking at the Church space; it is not known if those plans fell through or if the two groups will be joining together on the new venture. (As soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.)

The address for the former Church space is 69 Kilmarnock Sreet, Boston, MA, 02215.